8 Wrestling Gimmicks Based On Serial Killers
2. Pogo The Clown (John Wayne Gacy)
Clowns scare the living heck out of most people at the best of times, so picturing a 6 foot 5 inch one who wrestles in some of the most barbaric matches imaginable may keep some folks awake at night.
Pogo The Clown was the alter ego of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a man who rampaged through a metropolitan area in Chicago, raping and murdering well over 30 people in the 1970s; the clown aspect of Gacy's life came from his work as an entertainer for children's parties, something which made others view him as a pillar of the community.
Wrestler Joe Applebaumer uses Gacy's powerful and intimidating clown guise to pin down his hardcore in-ring work, and he exploded onto the national scene by working with the now-defunct XPW promotion from 2000-2003.
There are no hidden references to John Wayne Gacy in Applebaumer's work as Pogo, as the freakish clown gimmick is designed solely to make people think of the killer. Seeing Pogo wrestle only makes is clear how nightmarish Gacy's alter ego was back in the 70s, especially when taking into consideration what the man was doing privately to others.